Building comparison
head to head
Metroid II: Return of SamusvsThe Lost Vikings 2
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.
Metroid II: Return of Samus
Optimization · Pure Optimization
The Game Boy expedition that turns Metroid into a methodical extermination checklist deep inside SR388.
The Lost Vikings 2
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A puzzle-platformer requiring coordination of multiple heroes with unique abilities.
Metroid II: Return of Samus leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); The Lost Vikings 2 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Metroid II: Return of SamusThe Lost Vikings 2
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 3
Metroid II: Return of Samus leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Metroid II: Return of Samus
Cramped Game Boy combat against Metroid forms.
The Lost Vikings 2
minor timing for character-specific actions
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Metroid II: Return of Samus
Creatures follow fixed behaviours.
The Lost Vikings 2
no adversarial adaptive opponent
Variance2 vs 1
Metroid II: Return of Samus leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
Metroid II: Return of Samus
Disorienting unknown caverns until mapped.
The Lost Vikings 2
negligible randomness
Optimization7 vs 7
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Metroid II: Return of Samus
Hunting all 39 Metroids is methodical route work.
The Lost Vikings 2
multi-character puzzle-solving is the core test
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.